Basement Ceiling Insulation Removed and Slab Cleaned After a Sump Pump Flood in Fairfield
1 / 5At the assessment: the basement after the homeowners dried it, with insulation still packed between the joists above.
Thank you for sending this through, David, and for taking the time to assess our basement. I was very impressed with your knowledge and scope of work outlined, and we would certainly welcome the opportunity to move forward with Green Restoration.
What Happened
In September the sump pump in this Fairfield home failed and a lot of water came into the basement. The homeowners did not wait. They pumped the water out, ran dehumidifiers, air scrubbers and pumps until the space was dry, and cleared most of what was stored down there. Then they asked Green Restoration to come back with an updated proposal for what was left. The basement is unfinished and about 980 square feet, used as a home gym and for storage: a concrete slab, poured foundation walls, ductwork and pipes overhead, and fiberglass batt insulation with a foil or kraft face packed between the ceiling joists.
David assessed it on October 1. Drying takes the water out of a room. It does not take out what the water and the weeks of damp air left behind. The slab had held the flood, and the ceiling insulation had spent those weeks over a wet basement. Batt insulation and its facing hold moisture and dust and cannot be cleaned in place, so the scope was to take the insulation out, clean the slab, and keep the dust from the work out of the rest of the house.
On October 26 and 27 the crew set up a containment barrier with a peel and seal zipper door, ran a HEPA negative air scrubber for three 24 hour periods, and tore out and bagged 980 square feet of ceiling insulation. The full 980 square feet of concrete floor was then cleaned and disinfected with a damp wipe using a plant based antimicrobial. The bagged insulation went into a dumpster on site, about 15 yards. This job did not include new insulation, sump pump or plumbing work, waterproofing, or testing.
Scope of Damage
Ceiling Insulation
SevereFiberglass batts with a foil or kraft face between the ceiling joists across the basement, sitting over the flooded space for weeks. 980 square feet torn out and bagged.
Concrete Slab
ModerateThe floor that held the floodwater, already dried by the homeowners. 980 square feet cleaned and disinfected with a damp wipe and a plant based antimicrobial.
Air in the Rest of the House
LightPulling insulation from overhead puts fibers and dust in the air. The work ran inside a containment barrier under HEPA negative air for three 24 hour periods.
How We Solved It
- 1
Crew Protected
Personal protective equipment for hazardous cleanup on every person in the work area: respirators with N95 filters, goggles, Tyvek suits and gloves.
- 2
Basement Contained
A containment barrier with a peel and seal zipper door so the work stayed in the basement.
- 3
HEPA Negative Air
A HEPA negative air scrubber ran for three 24 hour periods, holding the basement at lower pressure than the house above it.
- 4
Ceiling Insulation Out
980 square feet of insulation torn out from between the joists, bagged in plastic and discarded in a dumpster on site.
- 5
Slab Cleaned and Disinfected
The full 980 square feet of concrete floor damp wiped with a plant based antimicrobial.
Tools & Equipment Used
David on This Job
The homeowners had already pumped and dried the basement. What did you see that still needed a crew?
They did the drying right. What was left was overhead and underfoot. The ceiling insulation had spent weeks over a wet basement, and the slab had held the flood water. Those are the two things a fan and a dehumidifier do not clean.
Why did the ceiling insulation have to come out rather than stay?
Fiberglass batts and their paper or foil facing take in the damp air and whatever came up off the water. You cannot wash insulation. Taking all 980 square feet out inside containment, bagged, is the clean way to end it.
What does the HEPA and antimicrobial pass on the slab actually remove?
The HEPA vacuum pulls the fine dust and residue the flood left on the concrete. The plant based antimicrobial damp wipe treats the surface after that. It is a cleaning step, not a sealant, and this job did not include testing afterward.
What would you tell a Fairfield homeowner whose sump pump failed last night?
Get the water out and the air moving today, the way these homeowners did, and photograph everything before you move it. Then look up. If there is insulation in the ceiling over the wet area, plan on it coming out. Call us once the water is gone and we will scope the cleanup from what is actually there.
Questions Homeowners Ask
The homeowners already dried the basement. Why was more work needed?
Drying takes the water out. It does not take out what the water and the damp air left behind. In this Fairfield basement the slab had held the flood and the ceiling insulation had sat over a wet room for weeks, so the job was the cleanup that follows a dry out.
Why remove ceiling insulation when the water was on the floor?
A flooded basement fills with damp air, and the insulation overhead sits in it. Fiberglass batts and their paper or foil facing hold moisture and dust, so the scope took them out rather than leaving them in place. Here 980 square feet came out and was bagged.
Why containment and negative air in an unfinished basement?
Pulling batts out of a ceiling puts fibers and dust in the air. A containment barrier with a peel and seal zipper door and a HEPA negative air scrubber running for three 24 hour periods kept that in the basement instead of the rooms above.
Did this job include new insulation or a sump pump repair?
No. The scope was removal and cleaning: insulation out, slab cleaned and disinfected, debris into a dumpster. No new insulation, sump pump or plumbing work, waterproofing or testing was part of this job.
Do you serve Fairfield and the Stratford area?
Yes. Green Restoration serves Fairfield, Stratford, Bridgeport, Trumbull and Shelton for water damage cleanup, mold remediation and basement work. David Megeneishvili, who led this job, is IICRC AMRT and WRT certified. We are licensed, insured and BBB A+ Rated. Call (203) 742-0492 for a free estimate.
Fairfield is served by
Green Restoration of Stratford
Available 24 / 7 for emergency response
